Travels in the Great Desert of Sahara, in the Years of 1845 and 1846 — John Shaqi
Travels in the Great Desert of Sahara, in the Years of 1845 and 1846Richardson, James
History
Travels in the Great Desert of Sahara, in the Years of 1845 and 1846
Richardson, James
Sahara -- Description and travel
We passed the kailah, or in Scripture phrase, "the heat of the day," at a
place called Aâeeat, below The Mountains, where we found two wells
without water, or with very little bad, dirty, nay, black water.
Nevertheless, many descended these wells, about thirty feet deep, to
bring up the muddy filthy water, and swallowed it immediately. I myself
was so thirsty, that I drank it greedily. Said had very severe thirst,
and I believe he drank in one of the last two days nearly a bucket and a
half of water. I finished two bottles of brandy, having diluted it with
large quantities of water. I believe this was the only thing which kept
me alive, the heat was so intense and prostrating in the day-time. I am
astonished to see these people descend into the wells with such facility.
I expected, on the contrary, to see them break their necks. They descend
by the sides, only assisted by their hands and feet, clinging to naked
stones, the interstices of which in some places not even allowing space
on which to rest the foot. Here again is hubbub and vociferation of the
wildest form, all sorts of quarrelling over this sewer-like water. I now,
for the first time in my life, experienced the real value of water, and
in these climates more clearly understood the vivid and frequent
allusions in the Holy Scriptures to this essential element of existence.
Mohammed went several miles in The Mountains, and returned with a skin of
fresh water. In his absence the torment of thirst prostrated me, and I
lay senseless on the ground:
"The water! the water!
My heart yet burns to think,
How cool thy fountain sparkled forth,
For parched lips to drink."
After the Kailah, we ascended that portion of the Tripoline chain of the
Atlas called Yefran. This chain has various names, according to its
different links, or groups, more properly, for the usual phenomena of the
Atlas are groups, pile upon pile. The following are some of the principal
names of this part of the Atlas, beginning east and proceeding west:
Gharian, Kiklah, Yefran or _Jibel_, ("Mountain," par excellence,)
Nouwaheeha, Khalaeefah, Reeaneen, Zantan, Rujban, Douweerat. All these
larger districts are divided into smaller ones, descending to very minute
subdivisions. Every dell, and copse, and glade, and brook, and stream,
and drain, (to use English nomenclature,) of these mountains, is defined,
and owned, and cultivated, as the most cultivated, divided, and
subdivided estate in England. It is quite ridiculous to look upon the
Atlas chains as so many vast uninhabited wastes. The French, whose forte
in colonization is blundering, rushed into the plateaus and groups of the
Atlas as into lands unowned and undefined, and were quite astonished to
hear of claimants for their newly acquired lands and farms. They imagined
that the plains of the Metidjah and the adjacent Atlas chain had lain
desolate since the Creation, or were only wandered over by savage hordes
of barbarians.
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